Oh Come Oh Come Emmanuel

A Christmas Sabbatical

Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ;

I will be taking a week (plus today) from posting my daily studies. If anyone feels so inclined to share their own study for the coming week, (or any time for that matter), please feel free to do so, as it advances the Gospel of our Lord Savior Jesus Christ. 

Additionally it is my prayer and fondest hope that all of you have a wonderful, safe, Christmas, and God's rich blessings in your lives and that of your family and friends in the coming new year. May we all, each of us, never stray far from as the saying goes, the "reason for the season" and that His sacrifice, is always foremost in our minds. 

Indeed, as the old Christmas carol "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" says: "God and sinners reconciled"

Respectfully Yours I remain your humble servant in Christ; 

RPW. Sr.

The Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the CorinthiansChapter 9 Verses 6-7
6 This yet remember, that he which soweth sparingly,shall reap also sparingly, and he that sowethliberally, shall reap also liberally.7 As every man wisheth in his heart, so let himgive, not a,grudgingly, or of necessity: for God lovetha cheerful giver.
Related Scripture
Proverbs 11:24-25; Proverbs 22:9; Galatians 6:7-9; Psalm 112:9; Proverbs 21:6; Proverbs 19:17; James 4:17; Deuteronomy 15:7, 10; 1 Chronicles 29:17; Romans 12:8; Psalm 15:2; 

The Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the CorinthiansChapter 8 Verse 9
9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,that he being rich, for your sakes became poor, thatye through his poverty might be made rich.
Related Scripture
Matthew 8:20; Daniel 7:14; Matthew 9:6; Matthew 12:8; Matthew 13:41; Mark 8:31;  Philippians 2:6-7; Romans 9:5, 23; Hebrews 1:2-13; Colossians 1:15-16; 1 John 4:14-15; Ephesians 1:7; Revelation 3:18;

The Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the CorinthiansChapter 7 Verse 10
10 For godly sorrow causeth repentance untosalvation, not to be repented of: but the worldlysorrow causeth death.
Related Scripture
2 Samuel 12:13;  2 Samuel 24:10; Psalm 32:1-5, 10; Psalm 51:10; Matthew 26:75; Proverb 28:13; Proverbs 17:22; Psalm 22:15; Proverbs 14:30; Proverbs 15:13; Proverbs 18:14; Romans 6:23;  Romans 5:21; Romans 8:39; Matthew 25:46; 

The Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the CorinthiansChapter 7 Verse 1
1 Seeing then we have these promises, dearlybeloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthinessof the flesh and spirit, and finish our sanctificationin the fear of God.
Related Scripture
1 John 3:3; 1 John 4:17; 1 John 1:9;  Malachi 3:3; James 4:8; 1 Corinthians 5:7; Psalm 119:9; Matthew 23:26; 1 Thessalonians 4:4, 7;
Suggested additional reading 1 Thessalonians 4 in it’s entirety 

The Sunday Sermon

Teach Us to Pray ( Part 3)

by Billy Sunday 

Edited by R.P. Woitowitz Sr.  

“And so it was, that as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” 

The Gospel of Luke Chapter 11 Verse 1

Pride Hinders Prayer

Pride keeps us from proper prayer. Being chesty and big-headed is responsible for more failures than anything else in this world. It has spoiled many a preacher, just as it has spoiled many an employee. Some fellows get a job and in about two weeks they think they know more about the business than the boss does. They think he is all wrong. It never occurs to them that it took some brains and some knowledge to build that business up and keep it running till they got there.

Here's two things to guard against. Don't get chesty over success, or discouraged over a seeming defeat.

"And when he prayed he said: 'Lazarus, come forth'; and he that was dead came forth" (John 11:43). If we prayed right we would raise men from sin and bring them forth into the light of righteousness.

"And as he prayed the fashion of his countenance was altered" (Luke 9:29).

If you are devoting your time and thoughts to society, your countenances will show it. If you pray, I can see that.

Every man who has helped to light up the dark places of the world has been a praying man. (Mark 4:21; Luke 8:16;) I never preach a sermon until I've soaked it in prayer. ( 1 Kings 8:28-29, 38, 45; Psalm 39:12; Psalm 54:2; Matthew 21:22; Acts 6:4;)  Never. Then I never forget to thank God for helping me when I preach. (Psalm 30:12; Ephesians 5:20; Colossians 3:17; Hebrews 13:15;) I don't care whether you read your prayers out of a book or whether you just say them, so long as you mean them. A man can read his prayers and go to heaven, or he may just say his prayers and go to hell. We've got to face conditions. When I read I find that all the saintly men who have done things from Pentecost until today, have known how to pray. 

The Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians Chapter 6
Dear Brethren in Christ;
Today’s study is as noted above the reading of chapter six (click link above) in it’s entirety. The reason behind this, is simply, that it speaks out on the life of one whose dedication is to the spreading of the Gospel of Christ. It describes the marks of the ministry, to which, we must all be partakers. While it is true that most of us cannot make that sort of dedication, (that is to say being as a full time missionary, or an ambassador, as was Paul and the other Apostles), we each of us can identify with it.  That we use the power of the Gospel to do all things in our lives as to the glory of God. To be His proxy on earth so that others might see, through our actions, and our lives what His love is towards His children. 
Related Scripture
Romans 8:35-37; 

The Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the CorinthiansChapter 6 Verse 2
2 For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted,and in the day of salvation have I succoredthee: behold now the accepted time, behold now theday of salvation.
Related Scripture
Isaiah 49:8; Psalm 69:13; Isaiah 42:6; Luke 4:19; Isaiah 61:1-2; Matthew 12:18;

The Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the CorinthiansChapter 5 Verse 19
19 For God was in Christ, and reconciled the worldto himself, not imputing their sins unto them, andhath committed to us the word of reconciliation. (a)
(a) Editor’s note - Imputing - Charging, attributing or ascribing; to the account of; To impute;1) To charge; to ascribe; to attribute; to set to the account of; to charge to one as the author, responsible originator, or possessor; -- generally in a bad sense.2)  To adjudge as one's own the sin or righteousness of another; i.e.  the righteousness of Christ is imputed to us. - Source Webster’s Dictionary Editions  1828 and 1913
Related Scripture
Romans 3:24; Hebrews 9:12-15; Acts 5:31; Acts 26:18; Ephesians 1:7; Ephesians 2:16; Colossians 1:14, 20; Psalm 49:15; Psalm 69:18; Nehemiah 1:6; 
Suggested additional reading - Hebrews 9

The Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the CorinthiansChapter 5 Verse 17
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, let him be anew creature. Old things are passed away: behold,all things are become new.
Related Scripture
John 6:63; Romans 8:1-2, 9-11; 1 Corinthians 1:30; Isaiah 43:18, 25; Isaiah 65:16-18;  Ephesians 4:24; Revelation 21:2-6; 
Suggested additional reading Romans 6, Colossians 3

The Sunday Sermon

Teach Us to Pray ( Part 2)

by Billy Sunday 

Edited by R.P. Woitowitz Sr.  

“And so it was, that as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” 

The Gospel of Luke Chapter 11 Verse 1

Learning of Christ (a)

"Teach us to pray," implies that I want to be taught. It's a great privilege to be taught by Jesus. A friend of mine was preaching out in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and had to go to a hospital in Chicago for an operation, and I was asked to go and preach in his place. Alexander was leading the singing, and one night Charles [Butler] called a little girl out of the audience to sing. She didn't look over four or five years of age, though she might have been a little older. I thought, "What's the use? Her little voice can never be heard over this crowd." But Charlie stood her up in a chair by the pulpit and she threw back her head and out rolled some of the sweetest music I have ever heard. It was wonderful. I sat there and the tears streamed down my cheeks. That little girl was the daughter of a Northwestern engineer and he took her to Chicago when her mother was away. Some one took her to Patti. Patti took the little girl to one of her suite of rooms and told her to stand there and sing. Then she went to the other end of the suite and sat down on a divan and listened. The song moved her to tears. She ran and hugged and kissed the little girl and sat her down on the divan and said to her: "Now you sit here and I'll go over there and sing." She took up her position where the child had stood, and she lifted her magnificent voice and she sang "Home, Sweet Home" and "The Last Rose of Summer" sang them for that little girl! And Patti used to get a thousand dollars for a song, too. She always knew how many songs she was to sing, for she had a check before she went on the platform. It was a great privilege the little daughter of that Northwestern engineer had, but it's a greater privilege to learn from Jesus Christ how to pray.

A friend of mine told me he went to hear Paganini, and the great violinist broke one of the strings of his instrument, then another, then another, until he had only one left, and on that one he played so wonderfully that his audience burst into terrific applause. It was a privilege to hear that, but it's a greater privilege to have Jesus teach you to pray.

Let us take a few examples from the life of Christ. In Mark we learn that he rose up early in the morning and went out to a solitary place and prayed (Mark 1:35). He began every day with prayer. You never get up without dressing. You never forget to wash your face and comb your hair. You always think of breakfast. You feed your physical body. Why do you starve your spiritual body? If nine-tenths of you were as weak physically as you are spiritually, you couldn't walk.

When I was assistant secretary of the Y.M.C.A. at Chicago, John G. Paton came home from the New Hebrides and was lecturing and collecting money. He was raising money to buy a sea-going steam yacht, for his work took him from island to island and he had to use a row-boat, and sometimes it was dangerous when the weather was bad, so he wanted the yacht. We had him for a week, and it was my privilege to go to lunch with him. We would go out to a restaurant at noon and he would talk to us. Sometimes there would be as many as fifteen or twenty preachers in the crowd, and now and then some of us were so interested in what he told us of the work for Jesus in those far-away islands that we forgot to eat. I remember that he said one day: "All that I am I owe to my Christian father and mother. My father was one of the most prayerful men I ever knew. Often in the daytime he would slip into his closet, and he would drop a handkerchief outside the door, and when we children saw the white sentinel we knew that father was talking with his God and would go quietly away. It is largely because of the life and influence of that same saintly father that I am preaching to the cannibals in the South Seas." It is an insult to God and a disgrace to allow children to grow up without throwing Christian influences around them. Seven-tenths of professing Christians have no family prayers and do not read the Bible. 

In the fourteenth chapter of Matthew ( Matthew 14:23) it is told that when Jesus had sent the multitudes away he went up into the mountain and was there alone with God. Jesus Christ never forgot to thank God for answering his prayers. Jesus asked him to help him feed the multitude, and he didn't neglect to thank him for it. Next time you pray don't ask God for anything. Just try to think of all the things you have to be thankful for, and tell him about them. (Ephesians 5:20; Colossians 3:17; Hebrews 13:15; )

(a) Editor’s thought - I am reminded here of the Gospel of Luke Chapter 10 Verses 38 - 42

The Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the CorinthiansChapter 5 Verse 15
15 and he died for all, that they which live, should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and roseagain.
Related Scripture 
Romans 6:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:14; 1 Thessalonians 5:10; Titus 2:12;  Galatians 1:4; Galatians 2:20; Philippians 1:21; 1 Corinthians 15:3; Hebrews 1:3; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 2:2; 1 John 3:5; Revelation 1:5; 
Suggested additional reading Romans 6 and Romans 7

The Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the CorinthiansChapter Chapter 5 Verse 7
7 For we walk by faith, and not by sight.
Related Scripture
Romans 1:2; Romans 8:24; Hebrews 11:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:8; Titus 1:2; Titus 3:7; 

The Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the CorinthiansChapter 5 Verses 1, 5
1 For we know that if our earthly house of thistabernacle be destroyed, we have a building givenof God, that is, an house not made with hands, buteternal in the heavens.5 And he that hath created us for this thing, isGod, who also hath given unto us the earnest of theSpirit
Related Scripture
Job 4:19; 2 Corinthians 4:7; John 3:31; Hebrews 9:24; Mark 14:58; John 2:19, 21; Romans 8:23; Luke 20:36;  Ephesians 1:14;  Ephesians 4:30;

The Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the CorinthiansChapter 4 16, 18
16 Therefore we faint not, but though our outwardman perish, yet the inward man is renewed daily.18 While we look not on the things which areseen, but on the things which are not seen for thethings which are seen, are temporal: but the thingswhich are not seen, are eternal.
Related Scripture
Isaiah 40:29, 31; Job 17:9;  Galatians 6:9; Ephesians 3:13; 1 Samuel 16:7; 2 Corinthians 10:7; Colossians 3:10; Hebrews 11:1; Romans 15:4; Titus 2:13; Psalm 43:5; Psalm 103:5; Lamentations 3:24;
Suggested additional reading of Psalm 103 in it’s entirety. 

The Second Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the CorinthiansChapter 4 Verse 6
6 For God that commanded the light to shineout of darkness, is he which hath shined in our hearts,to give the light of the knowledge of the glory ofGod in the face of Jesus Christ. (a)
Editor’s note - The following is a commentary by a Ms. Margaret E. Thrall from a book I have been using as a study aid along with my daily reading;
“The reference is from Genesis 1:3, although it is not an exact quotation, since the words of Genesis run; And God said let there be light. In this context it is an allusion the creation of physical light. The light that Paul is speaking of however, is the spiritual and intellectual inward illumination which is the result of the knowledge of God’s nature which Christians posses through their knowledge of Jesus Christ. Paul’s comparison of this enlightenment with the original creation of light at the beginning of the the world implies that the bringing in existence of Christians by God, through the work of the Apostles, is like the fresh creation of the human race. To live as a Christian is to live a totally new kind of life.”
Related Scripture Genesis 1:3;  2 Peter 1:19; John 1:4-5, 9; John 8:12; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15; Ephesians 2:15; Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:10; 

The Sunday Sermon

Teach Us to Pray ( Part 1)

by Billy Sunday 

Edited by R.P. Woitowitz Sr.  

“And so it was, that as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” 

The Gospel of Luke Chapter 11 Verse 1

We live and develop physically by exercise. We are saved by faith, but we must work out our salvation by doing the things God wills. The more we do for God, the more God will do through us. Faith will increase by experience.

If you are a stranger to prayer you are a stranger to the greatest test source of power known to human beings. If we cared for our physical life in the same lackadaisical way that we care for,our spiritual, we would be as weak physically as we are spiritually. You go week in and week out without prayer. I want to be a giant for God. You don't even sing; you let the choir do it. You go to prayer-meeting and offer no testimony.

You are a stranger to the great privilege that is offered to human beings. Some of the greatest blessings that people enjoy come from prayer. In earnest prayer you think as the Lord directs, and lose yourself in him. 

 

Some people say: "It's no use to pray. The Lord knows everything, anyway." That's true. He does. He is not limited, as I am limited. He knows everything and has known it since before the world was. [For what God knows, doesn't know, and chooses not to know, see omniscience]. We don't know everybody who is going to be converted at this revival, but that doesn't relieve us of our duty. We don't know, and we must do the work he has commanded us to do.

Others say: "But I don't get what I pray for." Well, there's a cause for everything. Get at the cause and you'll be all right. If you are sick and send for the doctor, he pays no attention to the disease, but looks at what produced it. If you have a headache, don't rub your forehead. In Matthew it is written, "Ask and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you" (Matthew 7:7). If your prayers are not answered you may not be right with God. If you have no faith, if your motive is wrong, then your prayers will be in vain. Many times when people pray they are selfish. They are not gripping the word. I believe that when many a wife prays for the conversion of her husband it isn't because she really desires the salvation of his soul, but because she thinks if he were converted things would be easier for her personally. Pray for your neighbors as well as your own family.  Oh, the curse of selfishness! The Church is dying for religion, for religion pure and undefiled. Pure religion and undefiled is visiting the widow and the fatherless (James 1:27) and doing the will of God without so much thought of yourself. I tell you, a lot of people are fooling themselves these days. 

Isaiah says the hand of God is not shortened and his ear is not deaf (Isaiah 59:1). No, his hand is not shortened so that it cannot save. He has provided agencies by which we can be saved. If he had made no provision for your salvation, then the trouble would be with God; but he has provided, so trouble is with you.

In Ezekiel we read that men have taken idols into their hearts and put stumbling-blocks before their faces (Ezekiel 14:3). God is not going to hear you if you place clothes, money, pride of relationship before him. You know there is sin in your life. Many people know there is sin in their lives, yet ask God to bless them. They ought first to get down on their knees and pray, "God be merciful to me a sinner" (Luke 18:13).

Some people are too contemptibly stingy for God to hear them. When you stand praying, forgive if you have aught against anyone. (Matthew 6:12-15; Matthew 18:21, 25; Luke 6:37; 2 Corinthians 2:7,10; 1John 1:9;) It's no use to pray if you have a mean, miserable disposition, if you are grouchy, if you quarrel in your home or with your neighbors. It's no use to pray for a blessing when you have a fuss on with your neighbors. ( Ephesians 4:26;)The spirit of God flees from strife and discord. (Proverbs 6:14, 19; Proverbs 29:22; Romans 13:13; 1 Corinthians 3:3; 1 Timothy 6:2-6; James 3:14-16;)

Prayer draws you nearer to God. ( Psalm 73:28; Hebrews 4:16; Hebrews 10:22; Hebrews 13:6; )

The Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the CorinthiansChapter 4 Verses 3-4
3 If the Gospel be then hid, it is hid to themthat are lost.4 In whom the god of this world hath blindedthe minds, that is, of the unbelievers, that the light ofthe glorious Gospel of Christ, which is the imageof God, should not shine unto them.
Related Scripture
1 Corinthians 1:18; Psalm 83:17; Job 6:18; John 12:31, 40; 1 John 1:5-10; 
Suggested additional reading 1 John 2

The Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians
Chapter 4 Verses 1-2

1 Therefore, seeing that we have this ministry,
as we have received mercy, we faint not:
2 But have cast from us the cloaks of shame, and
walk not in craftiness, neither handle we the word
of God deceitfully: but in declaration of the truth
we approve ourselves to every man’s conscience in
the sight of God.

Related Scripture

1 Peter 1:3; Romans 11:30-32; Hebrews 4:16; Deuteronomy31:6; Joshua 1:9; Ezra 10:4; Psalm 27:14; Psalm 31:24; Isaiah 41:6; 1 Corinthians 16:13; Galatians 5:1; Philippians 1:27; Philippians 4:1; 1 Thessalonians 3:8; 2 Thessalonians 2:15; Romans 14:18; 1 Corinthians 11:19;  2 Corinthians 7:11; 2 Corinthians 10:18; 2 Timothy 2:15;

Suggested Additional Reading 2 Timothy 2